● This announcement follows a recent survey of FREE NOW drivers in Ireland which found that 68% were unsure about switching to an EV (electric vehicles) in the next 1 to 3 years, with charging availability and price the key barriers for drivers

● The ride-hailing app pledges to invest €6 MILLION to enable every driver to install a home charger

● Research has shown that where drivers have the possibility to charge their EV either at home or at a depot, they can save up to €3,000 per year with an EV compared toan equivalent diesel car

● FREE NOW calls on the Government to invest in more grants for drivers, updateregulations and invest in charging infrastructure, to do more to reassure and encourage drivers to switch

● This comes as FREE NOW Europe announces it will be the first mobility platform in Europe to achieve a net zero plan and unveils plans to have at least 50% fully electric vehicle rides by 2025 and a 100% zero emission rides by 2030 in all European markets

● In the meantime, while these goals are reached, FREE NOW has offset all emissions in its efforts to become carbon neutral

● FREE NOW Europe will push the electrification of its rides by allocating more than EUR 100 million of resources in the coming five years.

 

Dublin, 13 January 2021 – Ireland’s leading ride-hailing app FREE NOW has today announced that it will invest €6 million to help Irish drivers to buy home chargers to alleviate pain points around switching to EVs. The ride-hailing app is also urging the Government to encourage and support drivers financially to buy greener vehicles, which is crucial if Ireland is to meet its emissions targets.

The company has already met with stakeholders from across the taxi, transport, charging and business sectors to see how stakeholders can work together to reduce emissions and improve air quality across Ireland.

Data from the ride-hailing app shows that of all 11 countries where FREE NOW operates,Ireland has the lowest share of new cars (only 16% of cars registered after 2015 vs. 63% in average across other markets). A recent survey of drivers found that Irish drivers need more assurance from all parties when it comes to switching, with 68% saying they were unsure about whether they would consider making the switch. This is compared to 37% in the UK 22% in France where the regulation and Government support for drivers is more advanced. Already in the UK, 55% of FREE NOW taxi trips are done in zero emissions capable (ZEC) vehicles.

In addition to investing in home chargers for every driver by matching the Sustainable Energy Authority Of Ireland’s grants, the ride hailing app will offset all emissions (backdated from 2020 onwards), through preservation and regeneration of forests and planting more than 20,000 trees across European cities.

Along with their own commitments, FREE NOW is urging the Government to make some changes to regulation in order to help expedite the switch to cleaner vehicles. In particular these are:

– In relation to grants, while there are supports in place, the Government needs to review those supports to ensure they are appropriately targeted and consider focussing on a finance model as well as grants.
– To ensure that we have charging infrastructure in place across the country. While home charging will help, there is a need to ensure a large and dependable spread ofchargers.
– There needs to be a greater number of Electric Vehicles approved for use as taxis to offer drivers choice and ultimately lower the overall cost of purchase.

Niall Carson, General Manager for FREE NOW Ireland said: “We take our responsibility as Ireland’s leading ride-hailing app very seriously and want to make a significant impact on improving air quality. But we also understand that drivers cannot switch to EVs overnight and
they need support from all stakeholders in order to do so. Drivers have highlighted their very real concerns when it comes to price and charging infrastructure. That is why we will help to alleviate some of the barriers to switching by significantly investing in home chargers for every driver in Ireland.”

“I have written to the Minister for Transport to outline some of the key barriers and ask for action here, this will not happen overnight but all stakeholders must work together to improve Ireland’s position on this issue on the European stage. Taxi drivers are well placed to lead
the way to wider switching among private car users and we can all learn a lot from their experience, but we cannot expect drivers to carry all of the costs.”

This comes as FREE NOW Europe announces it will be the first mobility platform in Europe to achieve a net zero plan and unveils plans to have at least 50% fully electric vehicle rides by 2025 and a 100% zero emission rides by 2030 in all European markets. FREE NOW Europe will push the electrification of its rides by allocating more than €100 million of resources in the coming five years.

In September 2020, FREE NOW launched its “Eco” booking option which enables passengers to specifically choose electric or hybrid taxis to support Ireland’s drive to reduce carbon emissions.

A recent survey of passengers by FREE NOW showed that almost 70% of people are now more environmentally-aware in their day-to-day routines, including when making decisions on how to travel, since COVID-19.